8 Highlights on Navigating Change and Employer Branding

Anthony Hickey

06.11.2020

Joined by a range of knowledgeable panelists, in the summer instalment of our Trust Insight Webinar series, we covered topics indicative of the Great Place to Work philosophy and methodology. We discussed change readiness through open communication, employer branding, caring for staff in a crisis, and the current state of learning and development.

Below you will find a brief summary of each webinar, but should you want to find out how the Great Place to Work Programme can benefit your organisation, you can talk to our team today.

Impact of Change in 2020 and Beyond

To say that 2020 brought about a lot of change for organisations may be the understatement of the year. However, we see time and time again that organisations built on foundations of trust and transparency can successfully navigate difficult transitions. We were delighted to sit down with three insightful panelists who shared their experiences on what has changed for organisations in Ireland and how they had been adapting to the “new normal” of working.

Bairbre Berry

Head of HR

Credit Agricole

The central theme here was transparency, where we were informed on how clear and genuine communication fosters reciprocal trust. This works in both directions, both from manager updates and listening to the concerns of employees to drive change.

Carolyn O’ Malley

Head of HR and Organisational Development

Science Foundation Ireland

Flexibility and fairness in the wake of an unexpected shift in circumstances were vital considerations. This was discussed in relation to annual leave, a need to consider disruptive factors in annual development conversations, and remote working arrangements.

Helen Gallagher

Global Head of HR

Morgan McKinley

Helen discussed the need to consider the psychological impact of the pandemic on employees. Considered paramount, were having supports in place to offer assistance, such as an EAP, and offering off-peak start times to counteract increased commuting anxiety.

Activating your Achievement

So, you take care of your employees, your culture is one of innovation and support, you’ve been recognised as a Great Place to Work, what now? It’s time to showcase your achievements and status as a Great Place to Work, after all, your organisation have earnt it! To discuss the best strategies in employer branding, we were joined by representatives from Esri and AbbVie, the number one listed Best Workplaces from the small and large categories, respectively.

Joanne McLoughlin

Head of Marketing

Esri Ireland

We were informed on how Esri have leveraged the Great Place to Work brand to enhance their own branding. Earning a reputation as a Great Place to Work positions them as experts in trust, helping them attract and retain top talent in a competitive marketplace.

Andrew Shaw

Communications Manager

AbbVie

Andrew discussed the employee engagement benefits that occur through the GPTW programme. The brand is often recognised by friends and families of staff, with their organisation’s status as a Great Workplace creating a sense of pride.

Caring & Clarity in a Crisis

As it became evident that the pandemic would disrupt the plans of businesses and the lives of individuals, organisations were tasked with developing strategies to navigate these uncharted waters. As one may expect, organisations involved in the Great Place to Work programme were primed to develop a people-first strategy, prioritising the wellbeing of their staff. To better understand the intricacies of such an approach, we were in conversation with a representative from the Central Bank of Ireland.

Liz Graham

People Relations Manager

The Central Bank of Ireland

Open communication was the foundation of their approach, devising designated channels for affected employees to raise issues and receive advice. In addition, people leaders were provided training to equip them with the tools needed to provide support to staff.

Learning & Development, What Now?

Along with just about everything else, organisations have been required to reevaluate their learning and development offerings this year. We wanted to understand how Great Workplaces have responded to this challenge, what had changed and what remained the same? These insightful panelists shared their experiences.

Yvonne Frost

VP of Employee Experience

Poppulo

Discussed here, was the need for organisations to reflect on, and adapt their development programmes. Yvonne stressed the benefits of devising streamlined development offerings to counteract the disruptive influence of the pandemic on the time and attention of staff.

Liz Donnelly

Senior Manager of Employee Experience

Oriflame

Liz highlighted the need for organisations to be reactive and agile in the training they provide. Given the current circumstances, remote learning, working from home strategies, managing remote teams, adaptability and resilience are all valuable skills to develop.

To conclude, webinar after webinar the Great Place to Work community provides expert level insights on all matters workplace culture. We have seen how, organisations not only take great efforts to provide a safe and productive workplace, but leverage their great cultures as effective, genuine employer branding tools.